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Auto alternatives for the 21st centuryFri, 09 Dec 2016 20:46:09 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.4California Governments Add Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Cars to Their Fleetshttp://www.hybridcars.com/california-governments-add-toyota-mirai-fuel-cell-cars-to-their-fleets/
http://www.hybridcars.com/california-governments-add-toyota-mirai-fuel-cell-cars-to-their-fleets/#commentsFri, 17 Jun 2016 19:51:19 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=455169Two California public fleets have overcome pricing and fueling hurdles and added Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell sedans to their operations. The City of Long Beach has one Mirai in its motor pool, and Sacramento County now has four with plans to add six more. With a sticker price of more than $57,000 how did […]

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/california-governments-add-toyota-mirai-fuel-cell-cars-to-their-fleets/feed/0Toyota Fuel Cell Research Getting $4.2 Billion Investmenthttp://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-research-getting-4-2-billion-investment/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-research-getting-4-2-billion-investment/#commentsTue, 28 Apr 2015 14:04:47 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=286993Toyota advertises it’s paving the way for “the next 100 years” of a “hydrogen society,” but to initially do so it plans to subsidize the effort with sale of $4.2 billion in stock. The world’s largest automaker is floating research and development beyond its Mirai FCV which has begun slow sales in Japan and is […]

]]>Toyota advertises it’s paving the way for “the next 100 years” of a “hydrogen society,” but to initially do so it plans to subsidize the effort with sale of $4.2 billion in stock.

The world’s largest automaker is floating research and development beyond its Mirai FCV which has begun slow sales in Japan and is due to begin selling later this year in Europe and California in small numbers.

Toyota has previously defended against criticism saying fuel cells are a long-term play. It is looking 15 years out as infrastructure comes online and markets open up, but projects fuel cell vehicles will in due time take the baton from the hand of the successful Prius line and keep running into the future.

“Mirai” in Japanese means “future,” but today the automaker says profits from its other cars will help give the unique electrified vehicles a start. Last year it sold over 10 million cars in all its divisions and these are enabling it to dig deep and give it a proper go.

Plans announced are for 500 billion yen ($4.2 billion) in common equity and unlisted shares with restrictions on transfer to be released for sale to investors tied in for a certain duration.

As many as 150 million shares of “Model AA” stock are to be sold at a 20-percent premium. The stock is named after Toyota’s first passenger car. The monies are for R&D including for FCVs.

Toyota says it wishes to secure long-term investors and is restricting trading of the shares for around five years. It will guarantee the sell-back price at the end of the period or alternately investors may convert the shares to common stock.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-research-getting-4-2-billion-investment/feed/0Toyota Mirai FCV First Drive Impressionshttp://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-mirai-first-drive-impressions/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-mirai-first-drive-impressions/#commentsTue, 18 Nov 2014 06:30:17 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=218145The Toyota Mirai drives essentially like a normal car. Toyota has said it wants its first fuel cell vehicle to be an electric car with no perceptible compromises for consumers, so would you expect it do otherwise? During a brief local test drive today, we were able to at least get a feel, and can […]

Toyota has said it wants its first fuel cell vehicle to be an electric car with no perceptible compromises for consumers, so would you expect it do otherwise?

During a brief local test drive today, we were able to at least get a feel, and can report initial impressions, with more to follow after we get more seat time tomorrow.

“Normal” in this case means a midsized electric vehicle that drives within realm of what people have come to expect from Toyotas.

Not Supras. Not Lexus GS sedans. No, more like Camry and Prius is what we had in mind – two sensible cars that function well with the primary mission being competent personal transportation.

Sound Signature/Drive

Punching the accelerator delivers brisk acceleration and 0-60 mph in an estimated 9 seconds with a distinctive hum sound from the hydrogen pump forcing fluid through the fuel cell stack comprised of 370 cells.

Acceleration is about 1.4-seconds slower than a Camry, and perhaps a second or so quicker than the Prius. Absent is any engine noise and only the tires could at times be heard making their own hum of a different sort.

Chirping of the scuffing low rolling resistance tires can also be heard on slightly slippery surfaces, or if punching the accelerator while making a slow turn. Horsepower is 153 and torque of 247 pounds-feet is decent enough for the 4,078-pound four seater.

With its regenerative brake system mirroring that of the Prius, brake performance is on par. We were not able to get a solid feel for all handling dynamics, but the car’s low center of gravity makes it feel more balanced than a Prius.

Toyota has talked up the car as satisfying to drive, and so far, we can’t disagree. For people wanting a neato tech experience unlike most any other, this fuel cell car is that.

Shifting is by a small wand not unlike a Prius-reminiscent smallish lever, and the car is heavily contented.

It’s not believed Toyota will be offering more than one fully equipped trim level for this Lexus with a Toyota badge intended to take the company into the next 100 years.

The Mirai presents itself as functional and comfortable, and we can see how some people could groove on the novel car.

Electrically adjustable seating of a high-grade imitation leather is comfortable and roomy front and back.

All the bells and whistles most might want are there. The drive experience is not exactly battery electric like, but this different kind of electric car offers a similar feel no less techy.

Some would argue it’s more technically advanced, actually, even if it does borrow a bunch of hardware from the Camry Hybrid to cut production costs. Even the parking brake is a pedal on the floor like a carryover from yesterday, but the fuel cell technology is closer to space age.

Its styling which might be a mash-up between a Prius and Lexus LFA was penned in Japan, and yes, people have questioned how attractive it ultimately is, but it does look better in person.

It can even look dramatic pulling up at night with its row of bright-white color temperature LED headlights and other lighting accenting its quiet otherwise dimly lit silhouette

Toyota wants it to be different stylistically, just as the Prius is – while also familiar where it counts – in not stretching average consumer comfort zones in the driveability, refueling, and range department.

On these it has arguably succeeded. We could go on with commentary and facts but will cut it here, and save them for our full report.

The short story is the vehicle ought not to disappoint its intended audience even if others are upset over open questions that while being hashed out now, may not be fully answered for a few years or more.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-mirai-first-drive-impressions/feed/0Toyota Mirai To Be Priced From $57,500http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-mirai-to-be-priced-from-57500/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-mirai-to-be-priced-from-57500/#commentsTue, 18 Nov 2014 02:57:14 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=217937Priced like a Lexus, and with customer service promised to be as good as Toyota’s up-market line too, its Mirai fuel cell sedan will be priced when launched next year from $57,500 with fuel included for initial buyers. Lease prices for the car loosely likened to a next Prius will be $499 per month for […]

]]>Priced like a Lexus, and with customer service promised to be as good as Toyota’s up-market line too, its Mirai fuel cell sedan will be priced when launched next year from $57,500 with fuel included for initial buyers.

Lease prices for the car loosely likened to a next Prius will be $499 per month for 36 months and Toyota will launch to fleet and retail customers with sales limited to fewer than 200 vehicle fourth quarter 2015 to 3,000 units by end of 2017.

The car will offer a 0-60 time of 9 seconds, top speed of 111 mph, and front-wheel drive power of 155 horsepower. Fuel will not be charged for as authorities have not set a metering price for it as of yet. This same policy has been in place for the Honda FCX Clarity and now Hyundai Tucson FCV.

Initial Mirai roll-out is in California, but northeast states will follow a “hydrogen highway” corridor in the Boston and New York regions, surrounding states, as well as potentially other places where early adopters are primed, and infrastructure is ready.

These details and more were revealed today by Toyota’s Bill Fay, group vice president, general manager, although no observation was made that Toyota’s foray into “the future” is priced just $100 less than the initially promised entry level Tesla Model S.

Tesla originally planned a 40-kwh Model S from $57,400 and the $57,500 for Toyota’s car promises potentially more subsidies – as much as $13,000. Toyota announced that and printed the potential $45,000 net dollar amount, but did not note that the expiration date for federal FCV subsidies expires end of this year.

In response to a journalist who brought this up, Toyota said it is expecting or hoping that the present federal subsides will be extended alongside existing state subsidies to take the full $13,000 bite out of the fuel cell vehicle to be launch second half of 2015.

Its likening to Tesla is otherwise minimal – as the styling of Tesla’s large car is sleek and it’s quicker – and Toyota is expecting an ongoing discussion, having heard vigorous criticism from battery electric car advocates.

The automaker however says it is taking a long view with renewable-sourced hydrogen comprising a third of that consumed gas also sourced from natural gas.

And, for all the debate already, it aims to open a dialogue over the coming year and possibly beyond as needed, while funding some much-needed infrastructure too.

The bottom line is it will not only be a question of the infinitesimal details of the FCV vs. BEV science debate, says Toyota.

“In many ways, our first customers’ experience is more important than the vehicle itself,” said Fay. “We know the vehicle will not disappoint – we’ve taken 20 years to make sure that’s not the case!”

‘Luxury Ownership Experience’

Fay then outlined the overview of Toyota’s marketing plan for the car which will be launched within months first in Japan, and then in Europe and the U.S.

The automaker will essentially apply lessons learned since the launch of the Prius – first in 1997 in Japan, and 2000 in the U.S. – with lessons also learned from its super-customer-service oriented Lexus division.

A “360 customer service ownership experience” includes a specialized, trained and dedicated dealer network and “world class” ownership experience.

Reports went out by media today with the jazzy idea that this will be the “next Prius” but while that hybrid is a model of starting modestly and watching sales blossom, the Mirai could more aptly be called a halo product with the corporate badge given Lexus treatment.

Toyota did give thought to naming the product a Lexus according to green car marketing head, Doug Coleman, but the decision to make the car a brand T was decided as the path to go, as was the choice to make it a sedan.

Targeted First Customers

To learn who its first buyers will be, in 2013 Toyota began studying its customers in California and the Northeast, and found a core psychographic of enviro-savvy, tech-appreciating “trailblazers” who want to feel like they are part of a mission.

It also sought through its fleet division corporations with a green mission for whom the Mirai would make an ideal statement for their commitment.

The 360 ownership experience includes “complete peace of mind” said Fay:

• 24/7 dedicated rep, not unlike, we’ll observe, how Volt buyers get a Volt advisor to call with questions

• 3 years of Toyota Care maintenance covering all recommended factory maintenance – which may not be much, but includes air filter replacement and deionizer filter replacement

• 8 year/100,000 mile warranty on fuel cell components

• complementary Entune and 3 years of safety connect with hydrogen station map

Not unlike how Tesla has engendered a populist cause for its car, Toyota sees its initially smaller contingency of those first to step up being such people – these people want to feel like they are part of a greater cause.

The automaker has already given private test drives to prospective fleet buyers ahead of the media launch this week, as it’s prepping the way with market studies that appear to be a quantum leap ahead in advance knowledge compared to the Prius of 15-plus years ago.

Toyota expects 90 percent of first customers to lease the Mirai, and in years two and three, more will want to buy it outright, Fay said.

Assuming all $13,000 in state and federal incentives can be lopped off however, Californians may net the car for $45,000 and be eligible for HOV solo-access stickers.

By comparison, when Honda came to market with its Accord Hybrid last year, it priced it from $30,000-$36,000 so the stretch will not be seen as outlandish by the personality types expected to take a shining to Toyota’s first hydrogen powered halo.

Toyota says it is taking the long view, and the parallel to acceptance path of the Prius, included the note that it took a full decade to sell the first million globally, then six more million more just seven years later as the sales growth graph shot upwards.

The automaker says it knows infrastructure is a hurdle, as are other critical observations, but it is aiming to take a loss for a while to bring to pass its predictions that this is “the future” for the next 100 years; a first for a ”hydrogen society.”

It is doing it all with full support by the California Air Resources Board, and other government and corporate partners around the country and world are also in on the vision.

Possibly the most expensive part of the FCV are the two bullet-proof 10,000-psi hydrogen tanks, made in-house by Toyota for an un-reported amount. Many costs were also saved by carrying over system architecture from the Camry Hybrid.

Honda also made an announcement this week on its follow-up to its FCX Clarity delayed a year, but coming for sure.

Toyota says the Mirai is a car that will meet needs, slowly at first, but in time, it and others aim to initiate a sea change in transportation.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-mirai-to-be-priced-from-57500/feed/0Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle Recognized By Popular Sciencehttp://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-vehicle-recognized-by-popular-science/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-vehicle-recognized-by-popular-science/#commentsThu, 13 Nov 2014 12:28:20 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=216513Popular Science has chosen the Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) as a 2014 Best of What’s New winner in the auto category. “For 27 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us − those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our view of what?s possible in […]

]]>Popular Science has chosen the Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) as a 2014 Best of What’s New winner in the auto category.

“For 27 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us − those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our view of what?s possible in the future,” said Cliff Ransom, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. “The Best of What’s New Award is the magazine’s top honor, and the 100 winners, chosen from among thousands of entrants, each a revolution in its field.”

Toyota’s FCV is an all-electric, four-door sedan that makes its own electricity on board. As described by Toyota, it utilizes the same hybrid technology developed for its hybrid synergy drive systems found on vehicles like the Prius, but replaces the gasoline engine with a fuel cell stack.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-vehicle-recognized-by-popular-science/feed/0‘No one’ Wants Toyota To Build An EV, Says Toyota Managerhttp://www.hybridcars.com/no-one-wants-toyota-to-build-an-ev-says-toyota-manager/
http://www.hybridcars.com/no-one-wants-toyota-to-build-an-ev-says-toyota-manager/#commentsFri, 31 Oct 2014 19:23:46 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=212153Having long basked in an enviro-reputation for its hybrids, Toyota has been saying battery electric cars don’t make sense, and as it prepares to show its fuel cell car to the U.S. next month, it’s said more. “Today, Toyota actually favors fuel cells over other zero-emission vehicles, like pure battery electric vehicles,” said Craig Scott, […]

]]>Having long basked in an enviro-reputation for its hybrids, Toyota has been saying battery electric cars don’t make sense, and as it prepares to show its fuel cell car to the U.S. next month, it’s said more.

“Today, Toyota actually favors fuel cells over other zero-emission vehicles, like pure battery electric vehicles,” said Craig Scott, the company’s national manager of advanced technologies. “We would like to be still selling cars when there’s no more gas. And no one is coming to our door asking us to build a new electric car.”

In response, EV advocates have viewed this “no one” wants a Toyota EV statement with feelings ranging from dismay to disgust to finding it humorous. The quote was originally given to the LA Times as Toyota amps up for its FCV preview.

But do people really not want Toyota to engineer and produce a battery electric car?

It’s being said customers would ask Toyota to build an EV, but marketers tend to focus on their corporate strategy, and the negative outlook on lithium-ion battery cars has been the view from Japan for a few years now.

At the same time it’s been reported Toyota is at work in Japan on more-advanced batteries for use in EVs that would provide better energy storage, more convenient charging, better cold weather durability, and all around make for a superior electric car.

So while it seems to some Toyota is quitting early, characteristic of Japanese manufacturers, Toyota is a long-range planning company. It yet considers its options open, and is at work on technologies including solid state chemistry even if its U.S. arm is playing out of the Japanese corporate playbook it’s been handed.

And for now, Toyota is focused mostly on fuel cells.

As noted, the fuel cell vehicle is getting a big boost as the the company prepares for corporate big wigs to show the media their company’s first FCV in Newport Beach, Calif. This will happen Nov. 16-18, a couple days in advance of the LA Auto Show in Long Beach to air the point-counterpoint, and make Toyota’s case.

The company also is at work on an improved plug-in Prius hybrid – a car now rated for 11 miles EV range, and the lowest of plug-in hybrids sold stateside. Unknown is Toyota’s range goal, but it will use li-ion batteries, and Toyota is at least dedicated to this model.

But Toyota has exhibited a habit of saying things negatively against EVs, and this may not be helping it. To us in New York early this year, it for the record spoke only benignly of EVs, and made a point of not stepping on toes, even if since someone at the company did again.

And as a result, EV fans have been saying things like Toyota is “painting itself into a corner” with its outspoken support for FCVs, and sidestepping EVs.

It has become a bit of a “zero sum game,” an either/or proposition in the minds of some. Perhaps most outspoken for the notion that the time of the EV is now have been Tesla and Nissan, with other automakers following in development of electric cars.

You can see how that’s a regulatory carrot on a stick for Toyota, Hyundai, Daimler, Honda, and we’ll see who’s next. And yes, natural gas will be used for now as the feed stock to make hydrogen, so that keeps that fossil fuel in business as well.

All this and many more details that could make for a long debate are true enough, but the jury is out on Toyota’s ultimate game.

Toyota has said it has not ruled out EVs forever into perpetuity. That’s merely its position now. If it or another company devises a better battery, it could rethink EVs later this decade or next decade.

It may have alienated some of the faithful in the mean time, but this is where things are.

So, unknown is how this will shake out in the long run. Memories may be long in the public for the company that gave the world the Prius and now says “no one is coming to our door asking us to build a new electric car.”

Or, as has happened before, people may forget about it if later Toyota comes up with a new whiz-bang EV and it meets peoples’ needs, wants, and desires – when ever that may be.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/no-one-wants-toyota-to-build-an-ev-says-toyota-manager/feed/0Toyota Hydrogen Tanks Production Gains Approvalhttp://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-hydrogen-tanks-production-gains-approval/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-hydrogen-tanks-production-gains-approval/#commentsMon, 01 Sep 2014 13:18:29 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=186001Toyota gained Japanese government approval to build and inspect high-pressure hydrogen tanks. This thereby handles one of the main issues with hydrogen vehicles in that high tank pressures must be sustainable, durable, and reliable. The company said this approval is an important production staging post in its program to launch its first fuel cell vehicle. […]

Having met the stringent criteria required by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry – the first manufacturer to do so – Toyota can now increase production of tanks that can be used for safe storage of hydrogen fuel at up to 70MPa (700bar) pressure.

Toyota FCV Concept.

Toyota added this keeps the company firmly on track for the market introduction of its Fuel Cell Sedan in Japan, Europe and North America in 2015.

Japanese law requires all pressurized gas containers and accessories to be type-certified and made available for official safety inspections during the manufacturing process, explained Toyota. Until now, Toyota’s hydrogen tanks also had to undergo a further inspection before being installed in a vehicle. The inspection schedules had a direct impact on its inventory control and the manufacturing timetable for Toyota’s FCV prototypes.

By being both able and allowed to self-inspect the tanks it makes, The company can now streamline its FCV manufacturing process, while, said Toyota, maintaining the highest quality and safety standards. As well as improving efficiency and productivity, Toyota also expects this to help reduce the cost of FCVs.

To gain official approval, known as KHKS 0102, Toyota said it has had to meet 194 requirements and demonstrate an appropriate high level of quality management. The company added it prepared a quality manual and a set of inspection rules to provide a fully documented hydrogen tank quality management system that goes beyond its own operation to include affiliated parts suppliers.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-hydrogen-tanks-production-gains-approval/feed/0Toyota Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle In Aspen June 27http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-electric-vehicle-in-aspen-june-27/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-electric-vehicle-in-aspen-june-27/#commentsThu, 26 Jun 2014 04:05:10 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=161721Toyota announced its first commercial zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) is coming to the 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival. First unveiled in Japan on Wednesday afternoon, June 25, the vehicle will make its North American debut at the annual conference on Friday, June 27. In a press conference in Japan, company officials revealed the […]

]]>Toyota announced its first commercial zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV) is coming to the 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival.

First unveiled in Japan on Wednesday afternoon, June 25, the vehicle will make its North American debut at the annual conference on Friday, June 27.

In a press conference in Japan, company officials revealed the exterior design of the FCV pre-production prototype.

Interior features, along with the vehicle’s name, volume, and full specifications will be released at a later date.

Toyota also announced that the FCV will go on sale in the Japan domestic market before April 2015, and then summer 2015 in Europe and the state of California.

Toyota stated the sedan will be priced in the Japan domestic market at approximately 7 million yen, or at more than $68,000 based on current exchange rates. Pricing in other markets has not yet been set.

“This is a zero-emission electric-drive, mid-size four-door sedan” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “It produces sufficient electrical power to spin the electric motor for about 300 miles on a single fill-up which takes three to five minutes. This is going to be a very special vehicle. And we believe we can bring it in at a very reasonable price for a lot of people.”

The company also stated today’s announcement builds on Toyota’s existing efforts to provide customers with access to hydrogen refueling stations when the vehicle arrives in California. In May, the company announced a financial relationship with First Element Fuels to support the long-term operation and maintenance of 19 new hydrogen refueling stations across the state.

“The success of fuel cell technology will depend less on the genius of the car, than on the ownership experience,” said Carter. “Stay tuned, because this infrastructure thing is going to happen.”

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-electric-vehicle-in-aspen-june-27/feed/0Toyota’s Fuel Cell Vehicle To Also Be A Back-Up Home Power Sourcehttp://www.hybridcars.com/toyotas-fuel-cell-vehicle-to-also-be-a-back-up-home-power-source/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyotas-fuel-cell-vehicle-to-also-be-a-back-up-home-power-source/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 14:43:32 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=111258With the current weather conditions in mind, Toyota said its new fuel cell vehicle could be the answer to keeping the lights on when power cuts strike. Instead of fumbling for the candles when the electricity supply fails, owners of the new Toyota FCV could simply reach for their car keys to keep their homes […]

Toyota explained the four-door sedan’s electric motor can produce more than 100 kilowatt and, with a full tank of hydrogen fuel, could generate enough energy to power a regular home for a week. Toyota’s engineers are now researching an external power supply device that could be used with the car to provide a safe and simple domestic connection.

“Power take-off” is a CHAdeMO plug used in reverse to back-flow power to the home.

The FCV’s potential as an emergency power supply is of course secondary to its principal role as a practical, zero-emissions vehicle. Benefiting from Toyota’s decade of hydrogen fuel cell research and development, it is expected to have a range of at least 300 miles on a full tank, and can be refilled just as quickly and safely as a conventional gasoline or diesel model. Toyota added when driven, the car’s only tailpipe emission is water, the by-product of the fuel cell system’s electricity generation process.

Toyota has made its hybrid vehicles central to its research into developing low-carbon homes, integrating the rechargeable Prius Plug-in into its “smart grid” housing developments in Toyota City, Japan, and in a pilot project last year in Indianapolis.

Toyota boasted that unofficially, its hybrids have already proved their worth as mobile power stations, notably with Prius models being drafted in as emergency energy sources in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and in the recent storms and power outages hitting North America and the UK.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyotas-fuel-cell-vehicle-to-also-be-a-back-up-home-power-source/feed/02015 Toyota FCV Fuel Cell Concept And Test Mule Shown At CEShttp://www.hybridcars.com/2015-Toyota-fcv-fuel-cell-concept-and-test-mule-shown-at-ces/
http://www.hybridcars.com/2015-Toyota-fcv-fuel-cell-concept-and-test-mule-shown-at-ces/#commentsTue, 07 Jan 2014 05:10:26 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=110610As announced, Toyota lifted the veil off its FCV fuel cell concept vehicle during the opening of the 2014 CES, adding its production fuel cell vehicle will be launched in 2015. Two vehicles shared the stage at the Toyota press conference: The FCV concept, showing what the four-door mid-size sedan will look like in Radiant […]

]]>As announced, Toyota lifted the veil off its FCV fuel cell concept vehicle during the opening of the 2014 CES, adding its production fuel cell vehicle will be launched in 2015.

Two vehicles shared the stage at the Toyota press conference: The FCV concept, showing what the four-door mid-size sedan will look like in Radiant Blue; and the camouflage-taped engineering prototype used for extensive and extreme on-road testing in North America for more than a year.

Toyota explained the prototype has consistently delivered a driving range of about 300 miles, zero-to-sixty acceleration of about 10 seconds, with no emissions, other than water vapor. Refueling of its hydrogen tanks takes three to five minutes.

“We aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel; just everything necessary to make them turn,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. Inc., at the opening of CES. “Fuel cell electric vehicles will be in our future sooner than many people believe, and in much greater numbers than anyone expected. Hydrogen works beautifully with oxygen to create water and electricity and nothing more. For years, the use of hydrogen gas to power an electric vehicle has been seen by many smart people as a foolish quest. Yes, there are significant challenges. The first is building the vehicle at a reasonable price for many people. The second is doing what WE can to help kick-start the construction of convenient hydrogen refueling infrastructure. We’re doing a good job with both and we will launch in 2015.”

Toyota added for the last 20 years, the company’s investment in fuel cell R&D has been massive. Since 2002, Toyota has been testing and developing a series of prototypes in North America. In those 11 years – and more than a million miles – it said it has dramatically reduced the cost of building a fuel cell powertrain.

Toyota said it estimates a 95-percent cost reduction in the powertrain and fuel tanks of the vehicle it will launch in 2015, compared to what it cost to build the original prototype in 2002.

According to Toyota, the FCV represents a major engineering achievement, where the size and weight of its powertrain system was significantly reduced while maintaining an impressive total power output of more than 100 kilowatt.

A fully-fueled vehicle will be capable of supplying enough energy to power a house for a week in an emergency, per Toyota. Engineers are currently looking to develop an external power supply device that could be used in this manner.

“There’s no doubt, that the success of this technology will depend less on the genius of the car, than on the ownership experience,” said Carter. “Cost is one thing, but convenience is another.”

Toyota’s FCV will be a hybrid using a sub-2-kwh battery and regenerative braking a la Prius, with the FC stack instead of engine.

Focusing on California, where the vehicle will be launched initially, Toyota explained it has partnered with the University of California Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) to help map out potential locations for new hydrogen fueling stations.

The APEP spatial model considers a variety of data including R.L. Polk ownership of hybrid and electric vehicles, traffic patterns, population density, and so on. The model is based on the assumption that owners want to reach a refueling station within 6-minutes.

What the model produced was an initial cluster map that requires 68 station sites in the San Francisco Bay area and Silicon Valley, as well as Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. If implemented, the mapped system could handle a fuel cell population conservatively estimated by APEP at about 10,000 vehicles.

California has approved more than $200 million in funding to build about 20 new stations by 2015, a total of 40 by 2016, and as many as 100 by 2024. To help guide the construction of new stations, the APEP model is being used by: